Schiavenza Langhe Nebbiolo 2021

Schiavenza is located in Serralunga d'Alba in the heart of Piedmont's Langhe district, celebrated for its great Barolo vineyards. The estate was founded in 1956 by the brothers Vittorio and Ugo Alessandria; the estate and surrounding area were traditionally worked by sharecroppers. The local dialect for sharecropping is schiavenza. Today, the estate is run by the second-generation Alessandria sisters, Enrica and Maura, and their husbands Luciano Pira and Walter Anselma.

In the vineyard, they do not use pesticides or herbicides. Cover crops such as clover and mustard greens are planted to achieve balance and limit yields naturally. Harvest is manual and is conducted according to the phases of the moon.  In the cellar, they use only naturally occurring yeasts, and ferment the wines in cement cisterns, with 20-25 days of maceration. From a 0.6-hectare parcel in Monforte (Perno), planted in 1998 with western exposure at 390m above sea level. The grapes were destemmed and crushed; fermentation occurred spontaneously in cement vats, with maceration lasting around 20 days with pumpovers. After malolactic, the wine was racked in Slavonian oak botti of 1000L and 2000L, where it aged for a year. Bottled without fining or filtering and held at the winery for 3 months before release. Dark red with purple tints in color. Translucent in appearance. Black fruit and floral aromas followed by leathery and gripping tannins. Despite its tannic structure, the wine’s fruity flavors of cherry and raspberries, supported with aromas of rose and anise, always seem to shine through.